Solenoid operated dice agitating game device



p 13, 1949. B. E. MILL? 2,481,680

SOLENOID OPERATED DICE AGITATING GAME DEVICE Filed June '7, 1946 II/I/I/I/I/Il/IIII/IIIIIIII II/l flyrezvrdie 2220 6. MMLJ Patented Sept. 13, 1949 SOLENOID OPERATED DICE AGI ATING GAME DEVICE Byron E. Mills, Detroit, Mich.

Application June 7, 1946., Serial No. 675,268

3 Claims.

My invention relates to a new and useful improvement in a combination cigarette lighter and game device having a part which may be used for lighting cigarettes or cigars and havin a. part which may be used for playing a game.

It is an object of the present invention to pro-. vide a device of this class which will be simple in structure, economical to manufacture, durable, light. attractive and compact.

Another object of the invention is the provision in adevice of this class of a movable supporting platform upon which game tokens may be posi tioned and associated with an electrically operated device whereby, upon energizing the electri eally operated device, the supporting platform may be jarred or tilted to dislocate the game tokens which rest upon the platform.

Another object of the invention is the provision in a device of this class of a supporting platform upon which game tokens may be positioned and provided with means for tilting or jarring the platform to dislocate the game tokens positioned on the platform and so arranged and constructed that the amount of movement of the platform may be easily and quickly varied.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

It is recognized that various modifications and changes may be made in the detail of structure illustrated without departing from the invention itself and it is intended that such shall be embraced within the scope of the claims which form a part hereof.

Forming a part of the specification are drawings in which:

Fig. l is a side elevational view of the invention,

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 22 of Fig. l, and enlarged,

Fig. 3 is a view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view of the wiring used in the invention.

As shown in the drawings I provide a housing or casing 9 having a bottom Iii on the inner face of which is formed a centrally located cup II, the bottom itself being formed cup-shaped to embrace the lower end of the casing 9. Formed through the bottom and the casing are registering openings l3 and 14. A bushing I5 is positioned in the opening [3 through which is directed the cable 25. Mounted in the casing 9 adjacent the upper end thereof is a partition 16 on which rests a collar ll. Resting on this collar I1 is a flange 2! of an inverted globe it formed of transparent material. Threaded onto the Gasing 9 is a ring l9 having the inturned flange 20 which engages the flange 2| and serves to retain the member. 18in position.

Mounted within the casing c is a solenoid coil extending through which is the tube 23,. Posi-v tioned slidably in this tube 23 is the metal core 24, the lower end of the tube 23 engaging in the cup H. The upper end of the tube 23 engages in an opening formed in the plate 44 which is s ed to. the partition It or the casing 3 as desired. The solenoid is connected at one end. to the wire 26 and the other feed wire 21 connects through the switch members 28 and 2,9 and the resistance coil or heating element 30, to the op- Qcsito end of the solenoid so that when the switch is closed the solenoid will be energized and the heating element or resistance coil 3!] will also be energized. This heating element is mounted upon the block 3! which is secured to the inner face of the casing Q and through which is formed an opening 32 registering with an opening 33 formed in the casing 9. Positioned in front of the heating element 3.6 is a perforated shield 49.

Secured to the casing 9 and depending from the block 3! is a spring metallic strip 4| which carries the presser button 42 projecting through the opening 43 formed in the casing 9.

A screw 34 is provided with an adjusting nut 35 which is threaded thereon and this screw 34 projects through the central opening 36 formed in the partition l6. Threaded on the screw 34 is a nut 31. lfhis screw 34 threads into the supporting platform 38 upon which are loosely positioned the game tokens 39.-

The construction is such that when the presser button 42 is pressed inwardly the switch blade 28 will move to the dotted line position and connect to contact the switch member 29 and thus close the circuit to the solenoid coil 22 and also to the heating element or the resistance coil 30. When the circuit is closed to the solenoid coil 22, the core 24 will be drawn violently upwardly from the position shown in Fig. 2, so as to strike the end of the screw 34 and drive it upwardly until the nut 35 contacts the partition 16. This upward movement of the screw 34 will, of course, dislodge the game tokens 39 and propel them upwardly into the inverted globe Hi. The distance of movement of the platform 38 may be adjusted by regulating the position of the nuts 31 and 35 on the screw 34. When used for playing a game the operator would press the presser member 42 inwardly so as to propel the game tokens 39 upwardly from the platform 38. When they have come to rest the operation would be repeated so that the switch would be closed but a short time at each operation. When it would be desired to use the lighter for lighting a cigarette or cigar, the switch would, of course, be retained closed until the heating element 30 became hot enough to ignite the cigarette or cigar, as will be readily understood.

Experience has shown that the device constructed in this manner, in addition to being useful as a cigarette lighter, is also highly attractive as a game as various game tokens 39 may be placed within the inverted globe I8 and these tokens easily and quickly dislodged to move upwardly into the globe l8 away from the platform 38 so that when they again rest upon the platform the tokens have generally been turned so as to ret upon a different side. In the drawings I have indicated the tokens 39 as representing a pair of dice but it is obvious that various kinds of game tokens may be used instead of the dice.

What I claim as new is:

1. A device of the class described comprising: a casing; a solenoid coil mounted in said casin a partition mounted in said casing adjacent its upper end and having a central opening formed therethrough; a plate positioned below said partition and secured in fixed relation thereto and having a central opening formed therethrough registering with the opening in said partition; a bottom on said casing; a cup-shaped member projecting inwardly from the center of said bo tom; a tube engaging at one end in said cupshaped member and at its opposite end in the opening formed in said plate and extending through said coil; a supporting platform positioned above said partition and movable relatively thereto; a threaded member secured at one end to said platform and projected through the opening in said partition into said tube; a nut on said threaded member above said partition; a nut on said threaded member below said partition, said last named nut being adapted for engaging said partition and limiting movement of said platform relatively to said partition; a metallic core positioned in said tube and movable, upon energizing of said coil, into engagement with said threaded member and forcing said platform upwardly.

2. A device of the class described comprising: a casing; a solenoid coil mounted in said casing; a partition mounted in said casing adjacent its upper end and having a central opening formed therethrough; a plate positioned below said partition and secured in fixed relation thereto and having a central opening formed therethrough registering with the opening in said partition; a base on said casing; a tube engaging at one end With said base and at its opposite end in the opening formed in said plate and extending through said coil; a supporting platform positionedabove said partition; an elongated member secured at one end to said platform and projected through the opening in said partition into said tube; a metallic core positioned in said tube and movable, upon energizing of said coil, into engagement with said threaded member and forcing said platform upwardly; and means for energizing said coil.

3. A device of the class described comprising: a casing; a solenoid coil mounted in said casing; a partition mounted in said casing adjacent its upper end and having a central opening formed therethrough; a plate positioned below said partition and secured in fixed relation thereto and having a central opening formed therethrough registering with the opening in said partition; a bottom on said casing; a cup-shaped member projecting inwardly from the center of said bottom; a tube engaging at one end in said cupshaped member and at its opposite end in the opening formed in said plate; a supporting platform positioned above said partition and movable relatively thereto; a threaded member secured at one end to said platform and projected through the opening in said partition into said tube; a nut on said threaded member above said partition; a nut on said threaded member below said partition, said nut being adapted for engaging said partition and limiting movement of said platform relatively to said partition; a metallic core positioned in said tube and movable, upon 4 energizing of said coil, into engagement with said threaded member and forcing said platform upwardly; means for energizing said coil; and a transparent inverted globe like member on said casing above said platform adapted for reception of loose tokens which may be placed on said platform and propelled upwardly therefrom upon upward movement of said platform.

BYRON E. MILLS.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Johnson Sept. 20, 1892 Number 

